


smell the flowers

by sunshinedoie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Demiromantic Dong Si Cheng | WinWin, Demisexuality, Flowers, Friends to Lovers, M/M, set in america :D
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-01
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26014816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedoie/pseuds/sunshinedoie
Summary: it's cliché, but ten thinks he might be falling for the boy who works at the flower shop next door."you're only here for a short visit. don't hurry. don't worry. and be sure to smell the flowers along the way." - walter hagen
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Comments: 17
Kudos: 35





	smell the flowers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [haechieprint](https://archiveofourown.org/users/haechieprint/gifts).



Ten had been drawing a lot of flowers lately. Not for any specific reason; he just thought they were pretty. 

He also thought they would look really good inked all over the boy next door. 

Not too long ago, the space next to the tattoo parlor turned into a flower shop, and Ten met the love of his life. He didn't quite know his name, and they had never talked, but Ten could tell they're meant to be. 

He spent most of his free time thinking about the boy, and it was starting to become a problem. He’d nearly ruined someone’s tattoo the other day━flower boy had walked past the window.

Ten was determined to meet him.

* * *

That day after work, Ten walked through the door of the flower shop for the first time. A little bell above the door rang, and flower boy turned to look at him. A beautiful smile graced his face. “Welcome to the flower shop!”

Oh, his voice was heavenly. Ten returned the smile, beaming wide.

He wasn’t the only other one in the shop, though. There was a middle-aged woman who appeared to be buying roses for her partner, which gave Ten an idea. He hadn’t come here with a plan, which in hindsight wasn’t a great idea.

He had to be prepared when he wanted to woo pretty boys, after all.

Ten picked out a couple of red roses and waited for flower boy to finish with the customer. It didn’t take very long, thankfully, and he walked up to the counter, showing the boy his roses.

“These,” he winked, “are for you.”

Flower boy stared at him and sighed. “That’ll be five dollars.”

Ten returned his stare, baffled by the boy’s response, and handed him the $5 note. “They’re for you. You can put them back and keep the money if you want.”

The boy continued to stare at him as Ten left the shop, bell ringing behind him.

Fuck. He forgot to get the boy’s name.

* * *

Ten went back to the flower shop a few days later with a solid plan, but flower boy wasn’t at the counter. Instead, there was a girl with long, dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail.

He walked up to her and asked for “the pretty boy with the beautiful smile,” and she rolled her eyes in response.

“Sicheng!” she yelled towards the back of the store. “Someone’s looking for you!”

Ten thanked her and waited for the boy, Sicheng, to come over. He looked at the flowers on the desk and smiled. Yellow tulips.

The boy stepped out with a smile, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Long day?” Ten asked, smiling gently. Sicheng nodded his head, his smile faltering.

“Kind of. There are lots of things going on right now.”

“Would you like to tell me about them? Perhaps while we’re out at dinner?” Ten winked.

Sicheng sighed. “I don’t like talking with food in my mouth. It’s improper. Now, what brought you to our store today? How can I help you?”

Ten doesn’t understand how the boy could just ignore his advances like this. He took a breath before responding. “I wanted to get to know you, and I think we could become very close if we tried. When does your shift end?”

“I have about two more hours. I leave at four o’clock.”

Perfect.

“Oh, cool,” Ten replied. “Do you think you could come over to the shop next door when your shift is over? The receptionist can lead you to me.”

Sicheng stared off into the distance, and Ten could nearly see the gears turning in his head. “Yeah, if you want. Who do I ask for when I get there?”

Ten winked again. “Trust me, they’ll know. I have to go now, a client is coming soon. I’ll see you later, flower boy!”

He walked out the door again, waving to Sicheng with a smile.

* * *

Sure enough, five minutes past four o’clock, Sicheng walked in. Ten wanted to wait out front for him, but he didn’t want to seem too clingy.

He heard Sicheng ask for “the small man that comes into the flower shop far too often.” Yeah, he probably deserved that description. 

It still hurt.

The receptionist directed him to Ten’s room, where Ten was waiting patiently.

Sicheng smiled once he saw him. “I was worried I had the wrong place. Thank goodness you’re here.”

Ten blushed. “You found me! I’m just drawing more designs now since I have no more appointments today.” He gestured at a seat. “Sit down, flower boy.”

The boy sat down in the chair, eyes roving over the many inks and tools Ten had in his room.

“You know, I’ve always wanted a tattoo, but I can never settle on one thing to get.”

“Oh?” Ten looked up at him curiously.

“Yeah!”

“Would you like to look at my art? Maybe there’s something you’ll like! And if you think of something specific, I can draw something up for you!”

Sicheng smiled. “That would be really sweet of you… what was your name? I don’t think I caught it.”

“I’m Ten. It’s nice to meet you like this, Sicheng, outside of work. You’re sweet.”

He shifted his eyes to the floor, the corners of his mouth forming a smile. “Thank you, Ten. I don’t want to make you design something new, though. That’s a lot of work, and besides, I’m not sure I should pay for a whole new design.”

“Oh, it’s fine! Seriously, I love designing, and I’ll do it free of charge. Especially for a pretty boy like yourself.” Ten blushed.

“Do you give free designs to every pretty boy you meet? That’s not good for business, Ten.”

He laughed at that. Ten didn’t realize his flower boy was so funny; he probably didn’t even try. Sicheng was effortlessly funny and effortlessly beautiful. It was honestly unfair.

“I give free designs to the prettiest boys I meet, and so far you’re the first one. I have a lot of designs on my Instagram if you would like to look.” He wrote down his handle on a sticky note along with a winky face and handed it to Sicheng. 

“If you have any ideas or questions, feel free to message me there. I’m at work every day except Wednesdays and Saturdays, and as long as I don’t have an appointment, you can come in to say hi!”

Sicheng took the paper with a smile. “Thank you, Ten, really. What’s the price range here? Do I get a discount just because you think I’m cute?” He laughed lightly, and Ten wished he would laugh more.

Flower boy’s laugh could rid the world of all its problems, he thought.

* * *

Ten spent the next several weeks visiting the flower shop in his free time. Sicheng had set out new flowers on his desk every week or so; the yellow tulips stayed a while until he switched them out for morning glories, then white camellias. Currently, he had pink roses on his desk.

Today, Ten was bringing some food so they could eat lunch together. He walked through the door, the little bell ringing behind him as he headed toward the back room.

Sicheng was waiting patiently on the couch; he had texted him earlier to find out what he wanted, so the meal wasn’t exactly a surprise.

“Hey,” Ten greeted, setting the food down on the table and sitting next to his flower boy. Sicheng smiled, reaching for some utensils. 

“Thank you for the food by the way. I was getting pretty hungry out there. I think I might have tried to eat the flowers if I didn’t get something soon,” he joked, and Ten erupted into laughter.

They sat there in comfortable silence while they ate. Silence hadn’t been awkward for quite some time; it had been at first, but somewhere along the way they had become close and the spaces between their words became comfortable for them.

Soon, though, they finished eating and they had to get back to work.

“Good luck, flower boy. By the looks of that lady in the store… you’ll need it.” Sicheng laughed and walked out front, smiling at Ten before a fake smile took its place; the kind of smile you learn how to do after years of customer service.

Ten stepped out the door, bell ringing behind him as he smiled to himself. 

Sicheng was truly one of a kind.

* * *

Lunch had become a regular thing for them at this point; sometimes they’d eat in the flower shop, sometimes they would go out to eat. They didn’t mind where they ate; Ten and his flower boy were good friends, and so it didn’t matter where they were as long as they were together.

Ten walked into the flower shop once again, glancing at the flowers on the desk like he always does. Red tulips. He wondered if Sicheng just picked the flowers because he liked the way that they looked or if he picked them for some other reason.

The girl behind the counter looked up at him as the bell rang. “Welcome to the flower shop, Ten! Did you want to buy anything, or were you just looking for Sicheng?”

He smiled. “I was looking for him, but I’ll get some flowers as well. Do you happen to know what flowers I should get for Sicheng? Does he have a favorite flower?”

The girl furrowed her eyebrows in thought. “Well, it depends. He’s really into learning flower meanings, so you should probably make sure you aren’t saying something you don’t mean. Daisies are pretty harmless, I believe. I think you should go with those!” She pointed to where the daisies were kept. “Go pick some out and I’ll ring you right up.”

Ten walked over to the flowers, picking out a few that he thought looked prettiest. He took them up to the counter and handed the girl a ten-dollar note. “Thank you so much for your help. You can keep the change, by the way.”

She smiled at him. “Oh, why thank you! Sicheng is out today, so you’ll have to ask him where he is.”

Ten nodded, turning around and leaving the shop, deep in thought about his flower boy.

* * *

He had just finished his last appointment of the day and was about to grab his things and leave when the door to his room opened and in came Sicheng.

“Ten, hi! I hope I’m not too late, but I wanted to get that tattoo now.”

Ten blinked. “Now? I was about to leave, but we could do that if you want. Come sit.” He gestured to the chair in front of him. “What would you like?”

Sicheng sat down. “Do you remember when you doodled on that napkin the other day? I would like that.”

A doodle?

“Here, I have the napkin.” Sicheng handed it to him; it was a bunch of daisies that Ten had scribbled while waiting for Sicheng to finish eating.

“Oh,” he said, “that’s kind of funny, actually. I just bought you these!” He grabbed the daisies from earlier and handed them to the boy. Sicheng laughed and Ten could have sworn that his laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world.

They shared a smile as Ten prepared the design. He placed the stencil where Sicheng wanted it on his upper arm. “Does that look good to you?”

Sicheng nodded. “It looks amazing, Ten. Thank you.”

“Of course!”

Ten got started, and the two of them sat in silence, with only the buzzing of the needle to fill it. 

After a moment, he decided he should ask. 

“I’ve been wondering.”

Sicheng hummed in acknowledgment. 

Ten continued. “Do the flowers on your desk have any meaning? Your coworker said you enjoy learning the meanings, and I just thought that maybe they actually meant something.”

Flower boy’s eyes lit up. “Yes! They're really wonderful, and it comes in handy when someone wants to send a message. The ones on my desk… those usually represent my feelings, but come talk to me once you figure it out.”

Ten paused and looked up at him. “You’re seriously not going to tell me?”

“It’s obvious,” Sicheng smiled.

Ten rolled his eyes and got back to work on the tattoo. They sat in silence until the buzzing stopped and the tattoo was done. 

He sat back and smiled at Sicheng. “It’s done, flower boy. Here, look in the mirror.” Sicheng walked over and gasped.

“Oh, Ten, this is beautiful! It’s even prettier than I imagined.” He turned around, eyes shining with joy. “Thank you, truly. I’m so happy with this.”

Ten smiled, watching the boy turn around in the mirror to try and see it from all angles. Sicheng moved over to his side and hugged him tightly. Ten was gentle but hugged the boy back just as tightly. 

Sicheng paid him, the corners of his lips curved up in a smile.

“And hey, remember to come and see me when you figure out the flowers.”

Flower boy thanked him once again and left the room, the words playing over and over in Ten’s mind.

* * *

Ten spent the next couple of weeks researching flower meanings and desperately trying to remember the order of the flowers. Camellias, then tulips, then roses? Ahh, this was hard.

So far, he knew that the white camellias meant  _ you’re adorable _ , and the yellow tulips meant  _ hope and good friendship _ .

Who was he trying to get this message across to? Ten laid back in his bed, laptop pushed aside as he stared at the ceiling. Perhaps his coworker? She didn’t seem to know the meanings, so Sicheng probably thought it was a good, subtle way to let her know he liked her.

What color were the roses… pink? Pink roses, according to his research, meant  _ happiness _ . The girl must make him really happy.

Ten kind of wished that the flowers were for him.

He plugged his phone in and went to the kitchen to get some water. Perhaps he should stop thinking so hard about these stupid flowers.

* * *

The next time he set foot in the flower shop was about a week later. Sicheng was working at the desk, red roses in front of him.

“Hey, Ten. Did you figure out these flowers yet?”

“Not yet. I think you might have feelings for someone?” He questioned. It was a shot in the dark, but he knew what red roses meant.

“I do.” Sicheng smiled. “Do you happen to know for whom?” 

Ten shook his head. “I feel like it could be a few people.”

“Oh, but it's so obvious. Wait, my lunch break is about to start; I can tell you then.”

A few minutes later, Sicheng was leading a blushing Ten outside. They sat on a bench not too far from their shops, one under a lovely tree. 

“Okay, so. The flowers, they represent the way I feel, and the more I got to know you, the more I realized.”

Oh?

Sicheng continued. “I don't really get crushes often since I’m demi, but I watched the flowers change with my feelings and, somewhere along the way, I developed a crush on you. Maybe your stupid flirting worked.”

Ten laughed lightly. This was a horrible prank to play on someone. 

“I just wanted to make it clear that I’m into you. I don't mind if you don't want to do anything about these feelings, but I think we feel the same.”

Ten furrowed his eyebrows. “So you aren't into your coworker? I thought for sure…”

It was Sicheng’s turn to laugh. “Ten. I like you.”

“Oh my God, Sicheng. I like you too! This feels remarkably like a middle school confession.”

The two of them shared wide smiles.

Ten paused. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes, please.” Sicheng exclaimed, and Ten leaned in. 

Kissing Sicheng was everything good in the world all at once. It was peace, it was sunshine, it was love. 

Ten’s flower boy was prettier than anything he could have drawn, so much more beautiful than he even knew. And he was his. 

**Author's Note:**

> this was much longer than anticipated so i'm late, but happy birthday ella!! i love you so so much, and i hope you enjoyed this fic!!
> 
> to my not-ella readers; thank you for reading!! if you would like to see more, follow me on twitter @sunshinedoie!!
> 
> i love you all!!


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